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Between March 30th and April 1st, Tuareg fighters of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) seized the capitals of Azawad, Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu. Rebel forces were reportedly moving further south towards Mopti, where hundreds of people were seen fleeing the town. There is also increasing concern for some 95,000 IDPs currently dispersed in northern Mali. Of these, it is estimated that 38 percent are sheltering in Timbuktu, 32 per cent in Gao and 30 per cent in Kidal. In addition, Tuareg IDPs who fled to southern parts of the country are at risk of suffering reprisal attacks by those hostile to the rebellion.

This conflict follows the overthrow of President Amadou Toumani Touré on 21 March by Malian soldiers who accused him of limiting their means of addressing the Tuareg rebellion in the north. Since then, Mali has been increasingly isolated; it has been suspended from ECOWAS and the African Union, and several governments have suspended financial aid.

Humanitarian organizations are increasingly worried that both of these recent events will further complicate access to IDPs, and gravely worsen their situation in a region already suffering severe shortages of food, water and medical assistance.